Surgical scalpels may have a sturdy handle and a blade portion removably mounted on the handle for use during a given procedure. After the blade has been used, the blade may be removed and discarded, after which the handle may be sterilized and made ready for further use by mounting a new blade. New blades may be packaged in individual sterile packages formed by two sheets of paper or aluminum foil sealing the blade between them, much like finger bandages are packed.
When the blade is to be mounted on the handle, one paper or aluminum foil layer is folded back to expose the rearward or mounting portion of the blade. The package is then grasped so as to press the sides of the blade between the thumb and forefinger while the handle is inserted into the opening of the blade. While the blade should be held so that the cutting edge points away from the user, the potential for injury still exists.
Slipping of the blade within the paper or aluminum foil, in conjunction with the force required to properly install the blade on the handle, may push the blade through the cover and cause injury. Nothing prevents the blade from moving relative to its envelope and nothing prevents the blade from puncturing the cover. Therefore, individuals are subject to injury while installing the blade on the handle.
Upon completion of the surgical procedure, the blade may be either manually detached from the handle and placed in a sharps bin, or the handle with the blade may be inserted into a container, which may break off the blade.
It can be seen that attachment of the blade to the handle may be a hazardous procedure and can easily result in a sharps injury. If the blade is manually detached, a sharps injury can also result, which may be even more hazardous as the blade may be contaminated.
During surgical use, the scalpels can accidentally cut the surgeon's fingers, or the fingers of nurses and other support personnel. Furthermore, operating personnel may be accidentally cut when the scalpel is passed between personnel. Blades may need to be quickly removed from the handle during surgery. This may increase the likelihood of injury to either the surgeon or others.
Surgeons may have a personal preference as to a particular scalpel handle. The surgeon may prefer a certain weight and feel of a handle for achieving desired results in surgery. Furthermore, some safety systems allow for only a certain handle and certain blade systems to be utilized together.
What is needed is a safety scalpel system that would allow for specifically weighted, reusable handles to be used with safety and/or normal scalpel blades.